What’s Americium?

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Americium is an element with atomic number 95 and atomic symbol Am. It was named for the Americas, by analogy with Europium, which was named for Europe. Its atomic weight is 243. It has a whitish, silvery color.
Americium is one of the actinide or actinide elements of the periodic table of elements. Actinides, along with lanthanides, are classified as internal transition elements between metals.

Americium, a radioactive metal, was isolated by Glenn T. Seaborg, who later won a Nobel Prize in chemistry for his discoveries on transuranium elements, in 1944-1945. Americium was the third of ten elements that Seaborg played a role in discovering.

Americium also played a role in Seaborg’s conceptual work. The actinide series was proposed by Seaborg, and his conception of this group arose from the difficulty he experienced in isolating americium and curium, the two elements he discovered while at the University of Chicago. The unexpected problem led him to theorize that these elements differ from transition metals and to propose a new conception of the periodic table, which was first published in 1945.

Americium is created by using neurons to bombard plutonium. Only a few pounds are produced each year. It is restricted to laboratories because its high level of alpha radiation makes it very dangerous. Its alpha radiation is about three times greater than radium’s alpha radiation, and it also emits quite a bit of gamma radiation.

Americium is used as a gauge in the glass industry, commercial smoke detectors, and as a neutron source when combined with other elements. Because of its role in smoke alarms, it is found in far more homes than any other synthetic element. Its gamma-ray emissions have given it a place in radiology; although no longer used in this application today, it was once used in the diagnosis of thyroid function.

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